This invention relates to a method of identifying a plurality of transponders, each of which transmits data at intervals to a receiver. The invention also relates to an identification system comprising a plurality of transponders and a receiver, and to the transponders and receivers themselves. The invention further relates to method and apparatus for improving the identification systems disclosed in EP 494,114 A and EP 585,132 A.
Identification systems are known in which a plurality of transmitters, typically transponders, are activated by a power signal (or an xe2x80x9cinterrogation signalxe2x80x9d) and then transmit reply signals, usually containing identification data, to a receiver, which typically forms part of the interrogator. The signals may be transmitted in many ways, including electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency (RF), infra red (IR), and coherent light, and sound, e.g. ultrasound. For example, the transmission may be achieved by actual emission of RF energy by the transponders, or by the modulation of the reflectivity of an antenna of the transponder, resulting in varying amounts of RF energy in the interrogation signal being reflected or back-scattered from the transponder antenna.
GB 2,116,808 A discloses an identification system in which the individual transponders are programmed to retransmit data in a pseudo-random manner. Timing signals for the transponders in this identification system are derived from a crystal oscillator, thereby making the transponders expensive to manufacture.
EP 467,036 A describes another identification system which uses a pseudo-random delay between transponder data transmissions. In this example, a linear recursive sequence generator is seeded by the transponder identification address to make the pseudo-random delay as random as possible.
EP 161799 A discloses an interrogator/transponder system in which an interrogator broadcasts an interrogation signal to a plurality of transponders present in the interrogation field. Each transponder transmits a reply signal consisting of a uniquely coded identification number. The interrogator then re-transmits the signal it has received and each transponder decodes the signal and checks the data against it""s own identification number. In the event that a particular transponder recognizes it""s own code, that transponder discontinues the reply signal or adjusts to receive further instructions (all others having shut down). If interference occurs because two or more transponders are transmitting at the same time, the interrogator waits until a valid signal is received.
EP 494112 A discloses another interrogator/transponder system in which an interrogator broadcasts an interrogation signal to a plurality of transponders present in the interrogation field. One example of the identification system comprises an interrogator or reader which transmits interrogation signals at a power of approximately 15W and at a frequency of approximately 915 MHZ to a number of passive transponders. The transponders derive a power supply from energy in the interrogation signal, and modulate a portion of the energy received from the interrogator with an identification code to generate a response signal, which is transmitted back to the interrogator.
EP 585,132 A discloses another interrogator/transponder system in which transponders are provided with local timing means which is dependent on the power supply voltage derived from the interrogation signal, thereby causing the clock frequencies of different transponders to vary relatively widely. The interrogator is adapted to detect successful reception of a response signal from any transponder and to derive a synchronisation signal from the response signal. The interrogation signal may then be modified synchronously with a particular transponder.
The transponder can use separate receiver and transmitter antennas, or a single antenna can be utilised for both reception and transmission. If a single antenna is used the response signal can be generated by modulating the reflectivity of such an antenna; if separate receiver and transmitter antennae are used then a modulator which redirects energy from the receiver antenna to the transmitter antenna is required. Alternatively, the transponder can be independently powered and may generate its own response signal.
The system described in the above mentioned patent application provides for each transponder to wait for a random or pseudo-random period after receiving an interrogation signal from the interrogator, before transmitting its own response signal. Successful identification of any transponder is indicated by a brief interruption or other modification of the interrogation signal, following closely on the successful reception of a response signal of any particular transponder. This acts as a turn-off signal to the relevant transponder. The random or pseudo-random delay in the generation of response signals, in response to repeated interrogation signals, ensures that all transponders will eventually be identified by the interrogator.
In general, if the transmissions of two transponders overlap or clash, the transmissions are polluted and therefore lost, since the receiver cannot distinguish the separate transmissions. Thus, the system must provide for each transponder to transmit repeatedly until its entire transmission takes place in a xe2x80x9cquietxe2x80x9d time and is successfully received by the interrogator.
Any transponder must obtain a quiet time which is as long as the entire length of the data stream to be transmitted. As shown in FIG. 1, there is considerable wasted time in systems which employ a back-off and retry algorithm of this sort.
EP 689 151 A2 discloses another interrogator/transponder system in which the RFID tag transmit a request to transmit (RTT) signal and wait for an acknowledgement signal from the network controller before attempting to transmit data. The disadvantage with such a system is that the tag must wait for, and decode, an appropriately timed permission before attempting to transmit data, thereby adding unnecessary complexity to the tag and leading to considerable wasted time in the transmission cycle. If the tags are to have local timing means (as described in detail in EP 585,132 A) the timing and the duration of the acknowledgment instruction must be derived from the local timing means of the tag transmitting the RTT signal. Since the RTT signal must necessarily be very short in order to provide the advantages suggested, the network controller must be able to extract the timing from very little information. This adds unnecessary complexity to the network controller.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved, yet simple, identification system with improved recognition of data signals. It is also an object of this invention to remove wasted time, to improve the speed of identifying a plurality of transponders without adding unnecessary complexity to the identification systems.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an identification system in which wasted time due to transmission pollution is considerably reduced while still providing a reasonably fast tag transmitting cycle.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an identification system comprising a reader including a transmitter for transmitting a signal and a plurality of transponders, each transponder including a receiver for receiving the reader signal and a transmitter for generating a transponder signal, characterised in that on recognising a transponder signal from a transponder the reader immediately issues a mute instruction, muting all other active transponders and passing control to the said transponder, without the need for a specifically timed acknowledgement to the said controlling transponder.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of identifying a plurality of transponders comprising transmitting a reader signal, and each transponder receiving the reader signal, characterised in that on recognising a transponder signal from a transponder the reader immediately issues a mute instruction, muting all other active transponders and passing control to the said transponder, without the need for a specifically timed acknowledgement to the said controlling transponder.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a transponder comprising receiver means for receiving a reader signal, transmission means for transmitting a transponder signal containing data which identifies the transponder whereby in a set of transponders, two or more transponders may transmit their transponder response signals in response to receiving the reader signal, characterised in that the transponder is provided with control means, whereby on recognising a mute instruction in the reader signal, all active transponders in the set but one are muted and control is passed to said one transponder, without the need for a specifically timed acknowledgement to the said controlling transponder.
In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided an integrated circuit for use in a transponder, comprising receiver means for receiving a reader signal, transmission means for transmitting a transponder signal containing data which identifies the transponder whereby in a set of transponders, two or more transponders may transmit their transponder response signals in response to receiving the reader signal, characterised in that there is provided control means, whereby on recognising a mute instruction in the reader signal, all active transponders in the set but one are muted and control is passed to said one transponder, without the need for a specifically timed acknowledgement to the said controlling transponder.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a reader comprising transmitter means for transmitting an interrogation signal to at least one transponder, at a time when at least one other transponder may transmit in response to the interrogation signal, and receiver means for receiving a response signal from a transponder, characterised in that on recognising a transponder signal from the transponder the reader immediately issues a mute instruction, muting all other active transponders, and passing control to said transponder, without the need for a specifically timed acknowledgement to the said controlling transponder.
The mute instruction may take the form of a total or partial interruption in the reader signal, or some other modulation of the reader signal. Alternatively, the mute instruction may be a separate signal transmitted by the reader, for example at a frequency which differs from the reader signal.
An acceptance instruction may be sent after the transponder signal has been successfully received by the reader. The acceptance instruction may be of a similar nature to the mute instruction, such as a total or partial interruption or other modulation of the reader signal. Alternatively, the acceptance instruction may be transmitted at a frequency which differs from the reader signal; such a frequency may also differ from the frequency of the mute instruction. The acceptance instruction may also have a different duration to the mute instruction, or be formed by repeating the mute instruction within a predetermined period, e.g. using single and double pulses.
The mute instruction may mute the remaining active transponders by halting the random wait cycle of the transponders until either restarted or reset by another instruction. If the random wait cycles of the remaining active transponders are halted by the mute instruction, the acceptance instruction may also instruct the remaining active transponders in the reader field to restart the existing random wait cycles. Alternatively, the acceptance instruction may cause the remaining active transponders to begin new random wait cycles.
The mute instruction may simply mute a transponder by inhibiting the said transponder from transmitting. Any transponder which reaches the end of its random wait cycle is inhibited from transmitting the transponder signal. For example, the mute instruction may set a flag and when a transponder reaches the end of its random wait cycle it checks to see whether the flag is set before transmitting. The transponder inhibit may be reset by the acceptance signal or be reset after a predetermined time.
The acceptance instruction may also act as a disabling instruction, disabling the transponder which has just transmitted either permanently, for a predetermined period of time or until it is reset. Thus a single acceptance instruction may be used to disable a transponder which has been successfully identified, and to instruct the remaining muted tags to continue with the existing, or begin new, random wait cycles.
The transponders may, instead of being reactivated by an acceptance instruction to the controlling transponder, remain muted for a predetermined period of time. The transponders random wait cycle may include a delay equal to the length of a transponder signal; if a disabling instruction is used then the delay may also include the period for the reader to transmit the disabling instruction.
If transponders with local timing means (as described in detail in EP 585,132 A mentioned above) are employed, the acceptance instruction, if used, may be synchronised with the particular timing means of the controlling transponder.
The frequency and duration (i.e. the timing) of the interrogator instructions may be preset in the interrogator at manufacture or installation. The timing may be set in an optimisation phase, e.g. after installation or the timing may be optimised in an initial interrogation and used in subsequent interrogations.
If the transponders within the interrogation field are programmed with unique codes, the acceptance instruction may be eliminated altogether, and the transponders may thereby provide for the continued surveillance of the articles to which the transponders are attached. If all the transponders are programmed with the same code and the disabling instruction is used, the number of transponders within the interrogation field may be counted. The transponders may be used as a xe2x80x9cpresence tagsxe2x80x9d, indicating the number of articles to which the transponders are attached, and the response code may therefore be very simple. Selective use of the acceptance signal may provide more flexibility to an identification system.
Transponders and interrogators, such as those described in EP 494,114 A and EP 585,132 A, may be adapted to produce transponders and interrogators according to the invention.